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Bothell High School. (Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images)
With the pandemic continuing to cause difficulties for students, one Washington lawmaker thinks now is the perfect time to consider a year-round school calendar.
State Sen. Brad Hawkins (R-East Wenatchee) is sponsoring SB 5147, which would have a small handful of schools explore the possibility of spreading out the year’s 180 days of instruction over 12 months, eschewing with a typical summer break between June and August.
In practice, the bill would have the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, Chris Reykdal, select up to 30 school districts to try out the year-round model for three years. It would also mandate that participating schools have at least half of their enrolled students be eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Participating schools would be picked on a “first-come, first served basis.”
Bothell High School. (Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images)
Last week, Washington state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal unveiled a roadmap to getting the state’s teachers vaccinated for COVID-19. But while vaccinating school employees is definitely a priority, it’s also not seen as a necessity for getting students back into classrooms.
Reykdal cites data presented by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which points to a “lower risk of transmission of the virus by younger children” as proof of the safety and efficacy of resuming in-person classes.
“The data speaks for itself,” he told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson. “The protocols are very successful when we follow them.”